This invention relates to novel sulfur-containing half-esters of polygaloctomannan gums and to methods for their preparation using sulfosuccinic anhydride, alkyl- and/or alkenyl sulfosuccinic anhydride, and sulfomaleic anhydride.
Polygalactomannan ether derivatives are well-known in the art and are useful in the petroleum industry as oil well drilling muds and oil well fracturing aids, in the textile industry for sizing, printing, and finishing operations, and in the paper industry as beater additives. Typical derivatives may contain non-ionic groups, such as C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 -hydroxyalkyl groups; anionic groups, such as carboxyalkyl groups; cationogenic groups, such as diethylaminoethyl groups; cationic groups, such as quaternized amine groups; and mixed ether groups, such as carboxyalkyl and hydroxyalkyl groups.